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Macaron Tutorial

Saturday, May 03, 2008

Yes, another rhubarb post...it's the season and I just can't get enough....Sorry folks! When Marcela was planning her visit, one of her wishes was to get some rhubarb and Meyer lemons so we could bake something with them. She also wanted to keep the seeds of the lemon to grow her own tree back in Argentina. We searched everywhere for both to no avail and decided to stick with our original plan to make macarons instead. She did a fabulous job with the latter and I hope that macarons have no secret for her now and I got to tell you, buttercream and dulce de leche go really really well together!!

After dropping her off at the airport, B. and I headed for the farmers' market downtown and guess what I found by the bucket....rhubarb!!! Arghhhhh.....Wish I had it growing in the backyard but one has to do with what they have, right?! I need to add that since I mentioned I had found Loquat trees everywhere downtown, one of my clients told me she had her own tree and I was most welcome to head over her house and pick what I wanted. I did this afternoon and stopped at three bags full. Do you think I have enough fruit if you add the four pounds of strawberry that Marcela and I picked at a local farm yesterday afternoon?!!! There are going to be some fruity desserts coming up!!

This is the dessert I wanted to make for her had I found rhubarb before her arrival....alas, or as B. would say "Yum, more for me", this mousse cake is going to be dessert for us tonight. So here is to you Pip, as a thank you for a wonderful time in your company and especially last night at the restaurant where I don't recall ever laughing so hard in my life...and it involved another woman kissing my husband....

For the mousse I used the same recipe I used for the Raspberry and Mascarpone Mousse Cakes, back in March. I replaced the lime with lemon and added cooked rhubarb to the mousse base. I don't really have a recipe to cook the rhubarb but I usually go for 1 cup of fruit to 1/3 cup sugar, cooked over low heat until the rhubarb softens and I still get chunks of fruit in there. The cake ring surrounding the mousse looks complicated and involved, but really it isn't. It is made with an almond cake batter very similar to ones used for jelly rolls called "ribbon sheet cake" or Joconde and a tuile cookie batter (also known as tulip paste) piped onto the baking sheet before you pour in the cake batter so while baking it leaves an imprint on your cake. If it were rocket science I would not be doing it....trust me. It is not more time consuming than baking a cake and I find the whole process tremendously more fun given the end result.

I went for stripes but you can easily make squiggles, lace patterns, dots, smileys, etc....It is best to prepare both the mousse and the cake early in the day if you plan to serve this for dinner as the cake needs to cool and the mousse needs to set, and you can keep them in the freezer for a month or so if you decide to make them way in advance. For a velvety effect on top, I mix powdered sugar and cherry pink food coloring on top and dust the cakes with it right before serving. Do not do this in advance as your powdered sugar will melt and sink in the mousse due to its moisture content.

Cream the butter and powdered sugar together in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together and add to the butter mixture and mix until incorporated. Do not overmix. Use right away or store in the refrigerator, taking it out 30 minutes before you plan to use it.Pour the batter into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a ruler set on top of the sheet as your guide, pipe lines with the tulip paste onto the parchment paper, or any shape you desire. You can also smooth a large amount of the paste on the paper and using a ruler set on the rim of the pan, use a decorator comb to drag on the batter to form lines. When I make somewhat straight lines, this is the method I use, and I use the pastry bag method for lace patterns and others. Set the baking sheet in the freezer until the tulip paste is firm. Keep frozen until you are ready to pour the cake batter on top.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the almonds, powdered sugar, flour and 2 eggs until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl with a spatula and add the remaining 2 eggs and the yolk until well combined. Set aside.Whip the egg whites in a separate bowl until they appear foamy, add the granulated sugar in a steady stream and whip until you get a glossy meringue. Fold the meringue mixture into the egg/flour mixture. Stir in the melted butter and fold until all the ingredients are well incorporated but without deflating your meringue base.

Remove the baking sheet with the tulip paste from the freezer and pour the cake batter on top. Bake at 450F for about 6-8 minutes or until the sponge becomes to color. Remove from the oven, let cool a few minutes and invert your cake onto a piece of parchment paper. Peel the baking paper. Let cool before using. You can keep it wrapped in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for a month. Bring it back to room temperature before you fit it in the pastry rings. Line 6-8 pastry rings (depending on their size, mine are 3 inches wide) with parchment paper, cut 1.5 inches wide strips of cake and cut them to fit around the inside of your rings. Divide the mousse inside the rings and let set.

Sprinkle the gelatin over the water, stir and let sit to bloom. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the mascarpone with the sugar, add 1 egg yolk and whisk until well incorporated. Heat the gelatin for about 10 seconds in the microwave and quickly whisk it in the mascarpone batter. Add the lemon juice and zest. Whip the egg white until stiff, fold into the mascarpone mixture. Add the cooked rhubarb. Whip the heavy cream to medium stiff peaks, and fold into the mascarpone. Divide it evenly and carefully among the pastry rings. Store in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours or overnight.

Granted it takes a tad longer than a baking brownies but it is just as fun and as good, and if you like playing with shapes, batters and let your imagination run wild, this is a good project to tackle in the kitchen. The end result is so tasty you won't be disappointed!

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comments:

Too bad for Marcela that there was no rhubarb or meyer lemons(though I haven't seen meyers in weeks). Had I know she wanted to try rhubarb I would have made her something...we have a lot of it these days.The mousse cake looks beautiful!

-Gorgeous-! And I have to say, I'm completely envious of your hoard of fruits. There's hardly anything growing wild locally, and even the rhubarb in the grocery store has been looking pale and rotten. What I wouldn't give for your luck!

yum! i love rhubarb so much, and it doesn't seem to have a season here in australia. it's the middle of fall, and i just bought two bunches of thin, deep red stalks at the big monthly farmer's market in sydney yesterday.

Too bad she couldn't get rhubarb while she was with you!! And please, don't apologize for delighting us with another rhubarb recipe.... I love it. In fact, I still have several rhubarb recipes to post myself. I can't get enough and I will making the best of it until cherry season! Love the velvety effect!

Those look absolutely gorgeous! I have some tulip paste is the freezer but I've always been scared to make cake ribbons-- they might be too thick, they might break as I roll them, etc.. Did you use a 10x15 sheet?*sigh* I wish I had individual molds too :O

So glad you both had such a good time. I must have bought the last of the rhubarb in Charleston! I dare say it killed me to pay $4.99/lb for it, when my daughter has tons of it growing in her back yard in Alaska. Lovely dessert as uusual.

By the way, Helen, I forgot to mention it before... that is wonderful that you added a printable recipe function. You should definitely try to publish all these recipes. You have the followers for sure and so many wonderful recipes. You must!!! I'll be the first one in line for the book signing!!

I definitely love the stripes! I've yet to cook with rhubarb this spring and am looking forward to it. I'm not sure if I'm talented to make your beautiful dessert! You really inspire us with your creations, your photography and your writing!

Beautiful as always! I'm on my 2nd rhubarb post of the season and I know there will be more....but it's so dang tasty, and there isn't much else out there until our local strawberries arrive! That feels like a lifetme from now.

Okay that is not fair, leaving us hanging like a Soap Opera. The nerve I tell yah!

I saw your post on Tastespotting and I was in a hurry to find out more about the beet chips so I did not have a chance to look. I came to your site to find out what you were up to and there it was. I might have known it was you with another fabulous dessert. Girl, you should be filthy rich with your amazing talent. Pierre Herme who? All I know is Helen Tartelette!

my goodness. every time i come to your blog i'm intimidated and also so excited to try one of your recipes! i'm printing this one out now so that i don't chicken out (hopefully). it looks amazing, and i have all the ingrdients on hand except rhubarb and pastry rings -- and i have been looking for a good excuse to buy both!!!

That really looks fantastic. I'm always floored by your desserts, not only for how amazing I think they taste, but for the care you put into such beautiful plating and presentation. And I say keep the rhubarb coming--there can never be too much of it!

Wow, they look gorgeous, they are so perfect really incredible!I love to visit blog like your; I have to write down all the ingredients I need to try one of your recipe, I know that the effect will not be like your but I can't wait.My compliments for the photos too.Thanks for the comments in my new little blog, and very happy You found my napkin rings nice.

thanks for the inspiration, Helen. After reading so much about rhubarb, I finally bought some last Sat, and made my first batch of cooked rhubarb just now! It's so tasty!!! I hope there's still some more in the market this week.